End of the school year

School lets out in just four days!  

The school year is definitely starting to wind down, but that doesn't mean we are.  

I've been in the kids classes or at their schools (yep, all three are in three different schools) every day this week.  I'm also starting to gear up for taking on the role of co-president of the PTA next year.  A job that started at last nights meeting.

So let me catch you up on some of the end of the year fun we have been having.

It isn't a Teo 5 blog post without a picture of Sophie.

She got a bath and got washed and brushed last week.

So far, she hasn't found any puddles to stomp in so that grooming fee didn't go to waste just yet!

Leave it to my kids to get a weird rash or funk.

Owen made friends with a caterpillar friend on Sunday while we played Trivial Pursuit Jr. outside with the kids.  He played with that caterpillar for quite a long time and he may or may not have let it crawl in his shirt and down his pants.  But not to worry, we knew exactly where it crawled the next day.  

Owen went to bed complaining of bug bites (not abnormal for him, he's juicy, bugs love him).  He woke up the next morning with a rash all over his body.  I kept him home from school to figure out what the rash was and out of curiosity googled "caterpillar rash" and to my surprise found several entries about "stings" that 50 different species of caterpillars give off.  Lucky Owen, the one he was playing with was one of those kinds.  Using google as my guide, I found pictures of caterpillar stings and the rash they leave, and then found out how to treat it (use adhesive tape on each bite to pull up the barb that is left in the skin).  Once I did that, I gave Owen a cleansing bath and rubbed him with calamine lotion, then he headed off to school.

They are still itchy several days later, but are starting to go away.

So friends, don't play with caterpillars.

Aidan was inducted into the National Honor Society at an assembly at his school on Monday.

Yep, that's my new honor society member with his certificate upside down.

Maybe he doesn't belong???!

Here are the 8th and 9th grade inductees from Aidan's school.

 I also got some of the pictures from Aidan playing baseball from the schools website.
These are from May, but still fun shots to have of him.

Aidan also finished out his final band concert.

He isn't planning on playing in the school band next year (not enough time on the drum kit, which is his real passion), but was approached after the concert by the Fife High School band instructor telling him to keep playing because he wanted him in his jazz band at High School.

Aidan was also recognized by his band instructor as the most improved.  Which as he said "was a no brainer".   

If you recall, Aidan was accepted into the band as a clarinet player (an instrument that he didn't particularly love), and only started playing drums in May of last year, and the drum kit in September.  He auditioned for the upper level band at school in August just a week before school started (and with only about 6 drum lessons under his belt) and quickly made his way to first chair where he has remained for the majority of the year.  His band instructor has said he's the best kit player he's ever had.   Not too shabby for only a year of playing.  We look forward to where his music takes him in the future.

Field day at both of the younger kids schools is tomorrow.  And yep, I'm helping out at both schools in the morning.

Aidan has his drum audition for the Live it Out Loud program on Saturday, and we will wrap up three consecutive weeks of graduation parties.

Now if the weather will warm up, it can start feeling like summer!

Playing with the cousin

We have had some very busy weeks lately!

Aidan went on band tour with his school band spending two days on the road last week hauling around his drum kit.  I went with Isabella and her class on their field trip to Pioneer Farms.  I've been in kids classes, at kids schools and helping out with all kinds of activities.

We've celebrated friends birthdays, several graduations, and I hosted Isabella's teachers baby shower in class.  I got together for an evening with some of the old school MOPS moms.  The ones that were there with me as I took on the position of coordinator and the ones who took over running the group when I stepped down.  It was so fun to catch up.  We attended our churches yearly auction (no bear heads this year), and have been hitting the garage sales every Saturday come rain or come shine!

We also have been doing some sitting.

Dog sitting last week, and baby sitting this week.

We were so thankful for Steve and Val and their willingness to dog sit Sophie while we were on vacation last month, that we were happy to offer our baby sitting services while they went out alone to celebrate their anniversary.  As a side note, it's our 14th wedding anniversary tomorrow!  Yikes!  How did the years fly by so quickly?!

Anyway, we had a fun time with Brielle.

Aidan showed her how to hold drum sticks and once she mastered that

 he gave her a little lesson on the drum kit.

Don't worry mom, it wasn't too noisy!

We played see how big Bri is,

to which everyone should be thinking "soooo big!"

And Mike serenaded the little lady with some worship songs.

These are his groupies.

Brielle even came along with us to peanut butter and jelly night and helped us make sandwiches for the Tacoma Rescue Mission. 

We had such a fun time babysitting.  Now to get back to our busy week!

Dog sitting

Yesterday, we got to dog sit our friends new puppy.

Rudy is a 9 week old Lab.  

The kids had a half day, and they enjoyed taking care of a new puppy again.

Rudy loved this plant by the front door as much as Sophie did when she was a pup.

We did our best to wear Rudy out while he was with us.

Him and Sophie played for hours, we took him on several walks (including a 3+ mile walk on the Milton trail), let him explore the backyard and gave him a bath after he went swimming for the first time.

He was worn out.

Sophie happily let him tug on her ears and gave up her bed for her new friend.

They were both exhausted after a lot of play time.

We can't wait to do it again!